Responsive websites: Key considerations

As a web design agency, we know the growing demand and importance of responsive, mobile friendly sites. Mobile conversions are growing at a staggering rate, and so it is essential that all our sites thrive on touch-devices.

Earlier in the month we spread the word about our curiosity in this topic. We wanted to hear from our other fellow developers and designers, what are your key considerations when developing/designing for mobile? Here’s a few responses we received:

“Test more than one device for size comparisons and test on different operating systems if possible (Android or iOS mainly). For Instance, I use my Nexus 5x, my Dad’s iPhone 6 when available and an old iPhone 4s. Also test the main browsers (Chrome, Safari and Firefox)”

Anon

“For me the most important fact is that the site loads fast and the hyperlinks are spaced far enough apart so that you can select the link that you want, without your finger pressing several links at once.”

Anon

“Quick load time, even on 3G, functionality is correct even on an £100 AUD phone, don’t burn my hands, gives a functional first render with minimal jerk, does not have pointless hero image on the top”

Zane Hannan (Programmer)

“Every control, block or CTA should have its own specific place. This place really depends on it’s task – should it be easy accessible or not, should it take your attention or not, is it a part of general navigation or it is a secondary functional, etc. All of these factors should be taken into account. Also, there are style-guidelines made by giants like Google or Apple, and we always try to follow them, not only because they are trendy, but rather because they are proven. Stood the stand of time so to say”

Elina Bessarabova (CMO in the company of Mind Studios – mobile app and development company)

“Navigatability and performance”

Omran Abazld (Freelance web developer – Al-jazeera Network)

“In terms of web development, mobile has changed the landscape in a huge way. The best way to think is not really in terms of “mobile” and “desktop” but that you now need to consider an almost limitless range of devices and their associated screen sizes.

Websites now need to be built to work across as much of these as is reasonably possible (considering the project constraints). At the very bare minimum, functionality across smartphones, tablets and desktops should be ensured. This includes devices such as the iPad Pro, Surface, Surface Book, and all the numerous laptops, Macs and PCs.

To achieve this is a huge challenge, and is why a technique known as Responsive Web Design (RWD) has emerged, originally penned by Ethan Marcotte. This involves adapting the layout of the site to be flexible in width, so no matter how narrow or wide the device, the user won’t have to manually zoom in on content or scroll horizontally”.

Michael Gunner (Senior Front End Developer, Neptik)

As our very own senior front-end developer mentioned above, ensuring that all our websites are compatible and engaging on all devices is of paramount importance to us at Neptik. We specialise in delivering bespoke website design and development that looks clean and professional across all devices. If you would like to find out more about what tools we use to effectively test our sites, why not read our front-end developer’s article on using Browserstack for seamless development.